2017 Aquatic Weed Control Short Course (link), Coral Springs, FL. Join us for the largest and most inclusive training for Florida Pesticide Licensing and CEUs. Become a more qualified professional, engage with your industry, and network with your peers! The Short Course is designed to benefit both new and experienced applicators alike. Register by February 27 at the early rate of $245, and save $50! See link above for details and registration. Questions? Call Mandy Stage, Short Course Coordinator, (352) 392-5930, mstage@ufl.edu

WEST FLORIDA (Jefferson County and west)

December 13

Prescribed Burn Association (PBA) Informational Meeting (link), 9:30 am to 12:00 pm ET, UF/IFAS North Florida Research and Education Center, 155 Research Rd, Quincy, FL 32351.
A PBA is formed and run by landowners who help conduct prescribed burns on each other's land. Members can gain experience and have access to equipment, training, and help from other landowners who are more experienced burners while saving money. Free. To register contact Billie Clayton at (850) 767-3634.

Timber Price Update

News Briefs

2017 FLORIDA LAND STEWARD CALENDARS NOW AVAILABLE!Our 2017 Florida Land Steward Calendars are in. With beautiful photos, land management highlights, tips, partner resources and contacts, these make a great gift for you or the forest landowner or farmer on your list. First come, first serve for Forest Stewards, Tree Farmers, farmers, landowners, and private land managers while supplies last. Email Chris at cdemers@ufl.edu to request your copy. Please include your mailing address when you drop a line.

UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IFAS SCHOOL OF FOREST RESOURCES AND CONSERVATION DIRECTOR ANNOUNCED

Senior Vice President of Agriculture and Natural Resources for UF/IFAS Jack Payne announced this week that Dr. Terrell "Red" Baker, currently the Chair of the Forestry Department at the University of Kentucky and the "James Graham Browne Endowed Professor of Forestry," will be the next Director of the School of Forest Resources and Conservation. He will replace Dr. Tim White, who has retired.

Said Dr. Payne: "This is an important position within IFAS and the University of Florida and I am pleased that we were able to attract such a strong candidate to be the next Director."

Dr. Baker will begin his position at UF on April 1, 2017.

YOUR LEGACY, YOUR LAND WEBINAR SERIES RECORDED
This year the American Forest Foundation partnered with Oregon State University and their Ties to the Land program to connect landowners across the country with experts as they work through the succession planning process. Topics associated with your legacy plan, from setting goals to communicating with your family to understanding the different estate planning tools, were discussed during these sessions. These webinars were all recorded and are available for viewing at the Your Legacy, Your Land website.

2016 TAX TIPS FOR FOREST LANDOWNERS
Dr. Linda Wang, National Timber Tax Specialist, USDA Forest Service, has prepared her annual Timber Tax Tips publication. It and other related resources are available at the National Timber Tax website: http://www.timbertax.org/.

SIGN UP FOR WETLAND RESERVE EASEMENTSApplication Deadline Extended to January 13
Agricultural landowners and Indian tribes can apply for a Wetland Reserve Easement until Jan. 13 for fiscal year 2017 funding.

USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) provides financial and technical assistance for landowners to purchase and restore wetlands, protect wildlife habitat and recharge groundwater on their property. Eligible landowners can enroll in a permanent or 30-year easement. Although applications are accepted on a continuous basis, funding selections are typically made once a year.

Applications are available online. Contact Crenel Francis, (352) 338-9508 for questions and submissions.

FUNDING HELPS FLORIDA AGRICULTURAL PRODUCERS IMPROVE WORKING LANDS Application Deadline February 3 for Conservation Stewardship Program
Agricultural producers can sign up for funding now until February 3 available through USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP). Agricultural producers and forest landowners can earn incentive payments from CSP for expanding conservation activities on their land, such as cover crops, ecologically-based pest management, buffer strips, and pollinator and beneficial insect habitat. CSP encourages the adoption of cutting-edge technologies and new approaches such as precision agriculture applications, on-site carbon storage and planting for high carbon sequestration rate, and new soil amendments to improve water quality. The program also offers bundles, where a producer can select a suite of enhancements to implement and receive an even higher payment rate. All CSP contracts will have a minimum annual payment of $1,500.

New methods and software for evaluating applications will help producers see how they are meeting stewardship thresholds and allow them to pick practices and enhancements that work for their conservation objectives. Producers can expect to see nearly double the enhancements and conservation practices offered and better reporting tools projecting the results of their conservation efforts. These new tools also allow producers to see potential payment scenarios for conservation early in the process.

CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE IN DEER - FWC REQUESTS SAMPLES FROM HARVESTSBy Larry Perrin, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
The FL Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) requests your assistance with increased monitoring for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). CWD is a fatal disease of white-tailed deer, and other ungulates (elk, moose, mule deer). It is not contagious to humans.
CWD was originally discovered in Colorado in 1980 and now occurs in 24 other states; the closest to FL being TX and AR to the west and VA and WV to the north. Early detection is critical as this disease is extremely difficult to control, thus continuous monitoring is important.

FWC has been conducting CWD monitoring since 2001 with many of our samples coming from public wildlife management areas. We would now like to focus on obtaining samples from other public and private lands. It would be most beneficial if you would report any sick, injured, or dead deer (typically road-killed deer) to our CWD "hotline" at 866-293-9282. FWC will then make every effort to collect the necessary brain tissue and lymph nodes from these animals.

Also, if you, or any of your acquaintances, are deer hunters we would like to obtain samples from these animals as well. For hunter-killed bucks, the antlers and/or cape can be removed as normal without affecting the desired samples. If you are likely to harvest several deer (bucks or does) over the hunting season deer heads can be stored for 2 to 3 weeks if refrigerated and for an extended period if frozen.

The storage of heads from the same tract of land is beneficial as we can schedule a pickup that will be much more efficient than picking up individual deer heads. Again, you can call our hotline no. (866-293-9282) to arrange for pickups. If you harvest deer from more than one area specific location information is needed for each deer since if a sample tests positive for CWD it will be essential that its location be known so that appropriate measures can be taken.

Your assistance is greatly appreciated.

SOMETHING BUGGING YOUR TREES?
Do you have pests or a disease in your trees? Leaves or needles wilting, and you don’t know why? Sawdust falling out of your trees, and you don’t know how to save them? There is help: ask your question at the free Forest Health Diagnostic Forum: http://sfrc.ufl.edu/treehealth/forum/.

GOT AN INVASIVE SPECIES PROBLEM?Go to floridainvasives.org for information, assistance and partnership opportunities.

LOOKING FOR INFORMATION ON A PARTICULAR TOPIC?Check the vast array of extension publications available through UF/IFAS on the EDIS publication site: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ Wow, there’s a publication about that?